WA LABOR ARE COOKING AUSTRALIA’S CLIMATE AMBITION

2 October 2024

MEDIA RELEASE

WA LABOR ARE COOKING AUSTRALIA’S CLIMATE AMBITION

Wednesday 2 October 2024

Federal Labor is allowing the Cook Labor government in Western Australia to hold back the entire country’s effort to reduce emissions and take climate action that aligns with the science, Australian Greens Leader Adam Bandt said in Perth today.

Speaking alongside his Greens WA colleagues Dr Brad Pettitt and Sophie McNeill, Mr Bandt released new data which showed that other states, on average, have reduced their emissions by 55% since 2005, whilst Western Australia’s emissions have increased by 8.3% in that time.*

The evidence comes as the WA government fails to deliver on their promise to enact climate legislation during this sitting of parliament.

With just 5 sitting weeks left of this term of Parliament, it is clear this Labor government is backing down on their promise to legislate net zero by 2050 – there is no time left for this important bill to be debated and to pass through parliament before the 2025 election.

Western Australia remains the only state without a 2030 emissions reduction target in the whole country.

Lines attributable to Australian Greens Leader, Adam Bandt:

“Gas is as dirty as coal, and Labor backing new gas in WA is fast-tracking climate collapse. Gas is part of the problem, not part of the solution.

“WA will get smashed by the climate crisis, and every new Labor gas project threatens the lives and livelihoods of West Australians.

“Emissions are higher under Anthony Albanese than Scott Morrison, and Labor backing big gas corporations is to blame. Labor are climate frauds.

“War-torn Ukraine installed more renewables last year than Labor did in WA.

“Scientists are clear that there can be no new coal and gas projects if we are to have any chance of stopping runaway climate change.”

Lines attributable to WA Greens MLC Dr Brad Pettitt:

“It’s been nearly a year since the WA government introduced their climate change bill and with just 5 sitting weeks left before the election, they still haven’t brought it on for debate.

“In the face of hotter and drier summers, more dangerous and frequent bushfires and ecological collapse on a scale never seen in this state before the WA community rightly expect better from this Labor government. 

“The Cook government’s gas fanaticism is proving to be a self-fulfilling prophecy that is driving future reliance on gas and, unsurprisingly, failing to facilitate the rapid transition to renewable energy the climate science calls for. “Wind and solar are the cheapest ways to generate electricity – much cheaper than building new gas-fired power stations – but extraordinarily there’s not a single large-scale renewable energy generation project under construction on WA’s main energy grid. 

“Meanwhile, the Australian Energy market Operator expects gas use for energy generation to double in WesternAustralia by 2032.

“Without a plan to invest in renewables as the closure of coal-fired power stations in Collie looms, Western Australia is sleepwalking into long-term reliance on new gas.”

Lines attributable to WA Greens Legislative Council candidate and Fossil Fuel spokesperson Sophie McNeill:

“The Cook government’s obstruction of climate action is so obvious even state Labor MPs are voicing their despair and making it clear that there is more chance of helping reduce emissions from outside this government than within it. 

“Meanwhile, our state is being increasingly left out of the green boom because of WA Labor’s continued obsession with fossil fuel expansion and new gas. “If Premier Cook doesn’t change his ways soon, his lasting legacy will be how he chose to support Woodside’s interests over the long-term benefit of WA’s workers and our economy.

“The WA public knows we are in the middle of a climate emergency, and they are sick of this state government working for Woodside rather than protecting their kids’ future.”

*WA Greens Emissions Data by State

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